Of life and Innocence
by fernyberny222
Summary: Of all the life in Hyrule, he is the one who lives out moments the most. Of all the innocence a person could have, he has enough to keep him forever young - immortal. With a flick of his wrist, he could bring back the dead. With a helping hand, he could save us all.


Hello! I have know idea how to start an author's note :) so I'll just go to the warnings and disclaimer

**Warning: Yaoi, Mature subject matter and stuff. Very boring, read at your own risk**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Legend of Zelda**

Um, yeah this fanfiction will be really different compared to my normal writing. It's just because of the theme at the beginning I want to give the idea Hyrule us really sad now. I hopeo did good. :/

Thanks to anyone who read, reviews, follows or favourires this fanfiction. For readers of my other fanfics, **all of my other fanfictions are going on hiatus until I complete this story**. I promise I will finish my other stories, I just feel more motivation to write this right now. I fell in love with this idea and I hope you enjoy it.

_Of Life and Innocence - The Beacon_

The horn blares,

Hylians rise to the sound

After all, here are no more cuccoos, to sound their loud and annoying cry, which many hylians now long to hear.

There are also no more cows to produce delicious milk.

Nor turkeys to feast on during thanksgiving.

Or trees to produce juicy fruit.

Though no one cares anymore, it's been this way for a while now. Four years at least.

So they rise

Link wakes at the sound of the horn, like everyday. He immediately gets off his bed, which is quite easy since it's not quite comfortable. After all, it is filled with dead grass, as no one can find birds, or their feathers anymore. He dresses in his old hero clothes, albeit slightly more patched and rough then when he first got them. He would have gotten new clothes, everyone probably would have.

Though they had no silk worms to produce silk, nor cotton plants to produce cotton.

They didn't have anything really.

But that's just how life always was, you don't always get what you want.

He goes to his small washroom - the hero who saved the world should have deserved more, and it actually was _more_, as there was so little resources, many were homeless - and stripped down. He relies heavily on his eyesight since there are no lights or windows. Grabbing the make-shift bath sponge Link had made out of dead grass, he went to the sink. Link would have preferred a shower, but that would take too much water, they didn't have too much of that. He turned on the sink, drops of dirty water slowly flowed out. He didn't complain, it had been a while since it had rained non-acidic water, so they were all probably short on supply of clean water.

He wet the dead shrub with the small water that he could and wiped his face and body. After that, he changed back into his clothes - that should have been put in the laundry, but they couldn't afford that anymore.

Before he leaves, he looks into a cracked mirror hanging on the wall above the sink. His blue eyes that were once so lively had turned an emotionless and dead bluish-grey. His golden hair had lost its shine and looked frail just like the rest of him. His fair peach skin had turned as pale as a ghost from not seeing the sun in a while. Link doesn't do or think anything, all he does is stare at what has become of him.

What was left of him.

But this was the new him, and there was nothing that could change that.

He leaves his house, it was no longer a lushful tree sprouting new branches everyday, but a small shack made of rocks, metals, and dead grass. Really anything he could find and scavenge. They had cut down his home for 'a good cause' the princess had said. That cause turned out to be to fuel a new invention, a factory, which had been the cause of this new, yet dead world.

Really though, if he still had his tree house, he would have probably been assasinated for it. After all, it's not everyday you see a live tree, or any tree really. They had cut down all the trees for fueling the factory, so now, well, you couldn't really get lost in the lost woods anymore, you couldn't really even call it a forest anymore actually.

He walks on the dead grass, it feels rough and flack beneath his feet, but better then walking on the cold soil.

And he is then beaten, and yelled at, guards screaming at him to not walk on the grass.

It shouldn't matter really.

But it does, because that's just how life is.

After all, dead grass is one of their main resources, if you haven't figured that out yet.

Funny really, Link just wants to laugh.

But he doesn't, because it's really not.

You wouldn't understand unless you were them.

So Link gets up, and walks along with his neighbors. They look just as tired as him, with dark bags under their eyes and mud in their hair. They don't even give a friendly smile, or a 'hey', though, because if you need to know one thing about this new Hyrule, it is to **not talk to anyone**. After all, that wastes oxygen, it's a very important resource, if you didn't know. So if you need to say something, write it on a piece of paper.

Wait, no, don't do that either, we don't have anythin to write with, and very little paper. Even if they did, who said they would give it to your sorry ass?

So yes, anyway, Link and his 'neighbors' walk along in haunting silence. Well, as silent as it can get with all the coughing and sneezing. If you haven't figured out yet, they don't have much resources. So we can't make medicine, if medicine would even help. What they need is obviously fresh air.

But there are no more tree to make fresh air, so get over it.

Link hears guards talking. Their eyes never leave the crowded line that Link is walking in, it's their job to make sure hylians don't sneak away, but this time they also seem to be checking to see if anyone is eavesdropping in on their conversation. Hey probably missed Link, as he was able to listen in on their little talk with his hylian ears and hearing. The guards only whisper a few thongs before going back to their posts, but Link hears enough.

They are running out of grass apparently, only an acre or two left before they must find a new resource.

Splendid.

Of course, it's no problem for the royal family, their lives are decorated in riches and gold. Though for the people of Hyrule, well no one really cares about hylians so let's not think about what will happen to them.

Link looks up at the sky, no, not the sun, no one has seen that thing in ages, just the sky to look at now.

It isn't a pretty sight.

Gone is the baby blue sky filled with pure clouds and singing birds, now it looks like the result of an artist trowing a temper tantrum when he couldn't think of somehin to paint. Well now it was quite the painting. The sky was nothing but a hideous and disgusting fog, in some places there was a mixture of red with the grey polution. It is the prettiest color you will find in this time, but don't try breathe it in, the red color you are seeing is comong from old rust mixed in the pollution.

Where does this pollution come from?

What makes clouds of death so thick no matter how hard the sun tries its rays never pass through?

Who or what is responsible for the new lives they live?

The factory of course.

No one tries to stop the factory though. Except that one group, whoh practically contained everyone.

Didn't end too well.

You see my friend, the factory is run by the royal family, and with royalty, comes power. And with power, comes armies. And gold. And food. And everything everybody else should have as well, but do not.

But that is the beauty of power.

So you can easily predict the outcome of the battle.

For those of you who are too stupid to guess that the outcome was that the rebellion lost, and that the royal family was victorious, I suggest you go read another story, perhaps a Twilight fanfiction, and come talk to me when you are older.

So they walk, like obedient dogs under the watchful eyes of armor clad soldiers.

In the distance, Link sees a large grey brick structure. It has four entries, all guarded, and makes loud clanking sounds which Link can here from where he is now, which is not very close. In the distance people look like tiny ants as they enter the builiding persone after person. And let's not forget it's famous feature, the several large chimneys that have clouds of smog pouring out of it.

Ah, yes, I never told you where they were going.

The factory, of course.

They line up.

They are checked for ridiculous things sauch as food and money.

The gates give a deafening squeak as they open for the hylians.

Sadly, not the gates to heaven,

But to hell.

And they go through anyway.

Inside the factory is just as ugly as the outside. If you are truly with the hylians and myself, the fabulous author of this fanfiction, you will be able to see in your mind these surroundings. First thing you should know, it is just as polluted on the inside as on the outside, so you will need plenty imagation to see through the smog. You will hear the shouts of men, women, and children as they communicate with each other. They do not want another accident to happen. You can see flames through the smog, burning away at dead grass to make electricity.

Electricity.

A phenomenal discovery.

It can power anything, from lightbulbs to a machine that ties your shoes

It is the source of man

It is the source of power

It is the source of their demise.

Well, in a way it is. After all it is the factory which consumed every piece of life in Hyrule, and electricity is the reason and purpose of the factory. But the purpose of the electricity which is the purpose of the factory is to serve the royal family like everyone else.

When scientists found electricity, the royal family was the first to know, and receive it. Soon the scientists could not keep up with the requests. The king asked for a light source that didn't have a risk of burning his dear princess, the queen requested a new type of entertainment for her daughter, their heir demanded better heating for the castle.

Thus began, the construction of section #1 of the factory.

Also known as the manufacturing department. The place to provide all you daily needs.

But soon the little battery ran out.

Thus began, the construction of section #2. The electricity plant.

But making electricity required lots of things, as well as making luxury items. Oil, trees, metals, meats, fabrics, water and pretty much everything in he world was consumed by the building to make the royal family happy, while everyone outside of the Hyrule castle faced the consequences.

Though hey still needed rare and precious materials for precious people.

So they began to consteuct section #3 of the factory, the mine.

With the mine they would have a life time supply ofall they could ever want to live luxuriously. Gold, silver, diamomds and jewels were all there.

But we're not done yet, the factory needed one last vital thing.

Workers.

Which is why Link and his fellow hylians are here right now.

But enough of that, let's skip to the more interesting part of this story.

What Link does _outside_ the factory.

His midnight romp starts at his home. Link will peep out his door, if the coast is clear he will be able to sprint to his destination, but some nights there are guards stationed around the kokiri village, which can't really be called that anymore since more then just kokiri live here now. Today is one of those nights, Link can hear the clinks of metal as guards adjust their armor or shift in their position, and see the coat of arms on the shining chain mail. He slowly exits, not to make any sound, and swifly moves under the cloak of something beautiful in its own way.

Darkness.

The shadows.

Never as pure as sunlight.

Never as mysterious as moonlight

But cunning, exciting, and beautiul in its own way.

And because Link finds it beautiful, he lets it cover him. The guards cannot find Link, as they do not find the beauty in darkness, only hatred, death, and evil.

After all, who can see through something they cannot accept?

So for Link it is easy to deceive the guards, and with the help of darkness, he makes his way to the meadow which was once the lost woods.

And this time, he vows he will find it.

And find he does.

You are probably wondering what Link was referring to when he said he vowed to find 'it'

Well maybe if I tell you what he saw two years ago, from his point of view, you will understand,

This is hell. They make us get up at 4 am to work our asses off?!

So this is the thanks I get for saving Hyrule. Yeah you're welcome guys, here's my card for the next time you fuck up and let this guy who not suspicious _at all_ kidnap the princess and murder the king.

I walk home next to this dude who smells really bad. I probably don't smell any better but I can still notice him more then me.

I see a guard riding a horse. I feel a pang in my chest as I think of Epona. Whenever this happens, I try to think of how she's in a better place, where she can eat all the apples she wants and will never get fat. This cheers me up immediately, and erases all the guilt I have from putting her down. There was no more grass for her to eat, so I guess it was for the best to let her go than let her starve.

I probably wouldn't have needed to do that, had I taken up the royal family's offer. If I had agreed to marry Zelda then Epona and I would have had a better life, but I couldn't. My heart was somewhere else.

My thoughts erased as I see something I haven't seen in four years.

Moonlight.

It isn't that noticeable, but when you haven't seen anything but darkness your whole life it stands out a lot. There's something strange about it though. It seems that no matter how thick the fog is it's peaking through as if heaven made a window. And does not fade, but brightens as it reaches the ground. The light like a beacon to a small area in the woods. I look around, nobody seems to notice it but myself.

I feel a tingling on my hand and look down at it but see nothing. Though the more I eye the shining light beacon, the more tingly my hand becomes, I sigh in frustration and look down.

Oh there's my problem.

I was looking at the wrong hand, huh.

As I switch my gaze to my _left_ hand, my eyes widen as I see my triforce mark flashing brighter than the sun. I hastily cover it and look around, everyone seems not to notice again. My curiousity grows and the whole way home I stare at the light. Soon I arrive home with the rest of the crowd, but despite the hard work I have done today I feel restless and energetic, as if something me stamina just to investigate the light.

So I dash out to the lost woods, despite the darkness. I don't have to worry about getting lost, there aren't any trees, I doubt I would be scared even if there were, the triforce of courage is on my side. But all of a sudden, I realize I am in pitch black darkness, and who knows what I will find at my destination? Suddenly I feel scared as i actually take in my surroundings for the first time. All I see is evil darkness. And the light disappears, both the beacon and the one on my hand.

And I am cloaked in darkness.

_**Back to the present, still in Link's point of view**_

I take the same route as I have for the past two years.

This time, I don't feel fear, even though my triforce mark isn't glowing. I don't need it anymore.

After fighting what I was scared of, I realized the beacon I have been seekig for a long time only disappeared when I lost courage. I have all the courage I need now, so I think I'm ready. I follow a path made from my footsteps imprinting the ground one too many times.

The beacon glows brighter as it does every time I get closer, I know I'm almost there.

Then the guard come.

I can hear their yelling and whistling, the heavy footsteps as they attempt to look dignified and intimadating while making a mad dash after me in their clunky armor.

Idiots.

Only I can pull that off.

Though I lose my smug feeling of triumph as I hear them get closer.

I should have been able to outrun them, but I guess the consequences of eating nothing but dead grass for a couple of years finally stole some of my energy. I feel fear as I realize I'm fighting a losing battle. Even if they don't gt any closer they're still close enough to see where I'm going, I won't be able to enter my house unnoticed. And as doubt consumes me, the beacon dissapears, and I no longer have the urge to win. I am tired, I have no goal until tommorrow, I don't have to carry this on any longer. So I stop, and enjoy two seconds of rest before I feel something painfully whack my head.

Then I am embraced by darkness.

Quite the trouble our little Link boy has gotten himself into eh?

Don't answer that.

So what is the story setting now? Well, if you look left, you'll see some decor of the castle dungeons, a nice bug-infested skeleton hanging from a pair of metal chains. The walls are stone, with a torch placed on the back wall, the only source of warmth. On the right is Link, you can tell he's best friends with because they have matching handcuffs.

Link has many bruises and cuts on him, he had fainted from the exaustion and pain of being punished for being outside without permission.

Soon, a hylian guard is heard in front of the cell as he quickly unlocks the prison door. It swings open and a loud bamg is heard as it makes contact with the all-ready broken wall.

"Your highness, the prisoner we have identified as Link, the ex-hero of time," A deep voice of a male said beneath the guard's helmet. Link doesn't look up, and also chooses to ignore the ex-hero comment. He could hear the sound of expensive shoes click-clacking against the dungeon floor.

"Thank you, now if you please, I would like to talk to him alone," The princess gave a smile as she walked into the cell as if she owned the place (which see kinda did). As polite as she requested, the guard could hear the edge in her voice and see the threat behind her fake smile. With a glance of hesitation at Link, he confirmed to himself that the hero was too wounded to be a threat to the princess, and left.

"Well, long time no see, my lovely fiancé,"

"We were never engaged," Link hissed. Even though he was hungry, thirsty, and stripped of dignity, he was **never **going to bow down to her.

Zelda faked hurt. "Well if I remember correctly, you didn't have a problem professing your love for me if I threw you a few pieces of meat two years ago,"

"That was the old me, I'm not going to bend to you well anymore. I'm not going to be you pawn any longer, I'm done," Link spat.

"Hm, shame, but that isn't what I wanted to talk to you about anyway. What I want to you tell me is much more important," Zelda said, she seemed to eye Link, looking for any change in behavior. She asked, almost timidly, "I want you to honestly tell me love, have you seen anything... I dunno, that only you can see?"

Link tenses as he thinks of the mysterious beacon of light he had been chasing for so long. He doesn't know what Zelda wants with it, but if he knew one thing about the princess, it was that she is always willing to do extreme things to find what she wants. That meant there is two ways thing conversation could go, he could give in, or he could fght fire with fire.

"Hm, I dunno..."

Zelda's face flashes with the anger and impatiences she hides and Link flinches as she screams "DON'T PLAY DUMB WITH ME!"

Link only looks up at the princess dumbfounded. He had never seen her so desperate.

"The beacon!" She screamed. "You must have seen it! You have part of the triforce too! HOW COULD YOU HAVE MISSED A SIGN FROM THE GODDESSES?!"

Link bends his head to hide his smirk. This was going right where he wanted it to. "Sign from the goddesses? Oh, yeah, I know where that is,"

"Well then TELL ME!" Zelda shrieked.

"Hm, yeah I would but, it's hard to remember on an empty stomch you know..." Link ends his sentence with a pointed look at the princess.

Deflated, Zelda snaps her fingers and two servants scurry down the steps. They wear simple clothes, nothing more then white shirts and pants, but they were much better than the rags Link wore.

"Your highness," They acknowledged. "Is there anythig we can get you?"

"Yes, bring this man some dinner. I want it here now," She demanded. Without a word, they scurried off to fetch some dinner. Now finally alone, Zelda turns to Link. "Is there anything else you need?" She spat.

Although it was sarcastic, Link only smiled and replied "Yes actually, you see, I'm kinda feeling a little queasy in this cell. Not very comfortable either. And with these cuff I'll probably die from no blood circulation before I can tell you where the beacon is," By the time he had finished, Zelda was already pulling out a small siver key. She walked up to Link and with a clank, his left hand was freed. After his opposite hand was given leash as well, he rolled his wrists and stretched his back. After several minutes of gettig used to beig back on his feet, he turned to Zelda.

"So where's my new room _boss_," Link asked with a cheeky smile. Angrily, with a permanent scowl on her face, Zelda grumbled "Follow me," and stomped out of the cell surprisingly fast for a girl wearing high heels.

Link was lead into a room decorated with fine silk and paintings. Elegant windows with intricate designs lined one wall, with an L-shaped table fitted into the corner. The room was completed with a large green bed against the right wall. It had four-posts with curtains tied to it and was housing a mountain a pillows. Though despite everything being equally beautiful, he object ghat captured the hero of time's complete and utter attention was a beautiful and colorful mural that took up the enire left wall.

A lot of effort had obviously been put into creating it. Link had seen a smaller version of the picture in the halls, but it looked much grander fully-sized. Curny lines of shimmering gold and sparkling silver lined the borders of what seemed to be a legend. In the center of the painting stood a large and vibrant tree, with a young man sitting in its branches beautiful enough to be a god. And the longer Link looked into the stranger's mysterious red eyes, the more he believed what the pictures showed, it looked to be a great story.

"It is the legend of farore's child, the child of life and innocence," The princess of hyrule spoke softlt from behind him. Link turned to her, at that moment she looked oike the shy, kind and calm best friend he wished he still had. Not a lover, fiané or princess, just his friend. As Link was about to ask more about the story, servants stepped into the room.

"Your majesty, your food," The first servant held up a sivee fray with a matching silvee conver on too. The second servant removed the cover to present a delicious looking meal. Roasted turkey sat next to a colorful salad. Many othee assorted sides came with it as well.

Without hesitation, Link grabbed the plate and flopped onto the plush bed. It bounced slightly under his weight. The hylian happily dug into a turkey leg. Zelda changed back to her serious mode as they stopped talking about the mural.

Zelda watched in impatience, her eyebrow twitching every now and then. "Done?"She practically growled as soon as Link cleaned his plate or all food that now lay in his stomach (along with some dead grass fron breakfast).

"Hm, do you mind waiting a bit? All that warm food made me sleepy and this is such a nice bed. I'll tell you about the beacon I saw tommorrow," And without further ado, Link buried himself in the comforters and pillows. Zelda just stood there, mouth agape as Link ignored her, the only sound being Link's not-so-quiet snores.

**Somewhere else...**

_A small being lies in a dark corner. This corner is not found in the palace, or castle town, but in the being's mind. It is nothing but an empty space, no matter how far the little being travels all he sees is darkness. The child does not know how long he has been here, but when he awakens he will realize that he is no longer a little child any more. He may have the innocence of the child he still is at heart and at mind, but he will be forced to grow up faster than he should have._

_Long days and cold nights he has waited in his own little realm. Left in solitude and with only three visitors._

_Ome of them is his kind and loving mother. Every time she visits she makes one promise. She will hold the being in her arms and whisper, "One day, one day soon, the man bearing my gift of courage will come help you. He'll save you, one day. I promise," Unknown to the child, his mother dragged out this promise for more than 7000 years. But that does not mean the promise was broken._

_He sees the man again. He is he one his mother talks about. The bearer of courage. He has come seeking his light again, but this time is different. He holds no fear, and the being feels that he miht actually suceed in awakening him this time. As long as he holds nothing but courage, he will be considered worthy of finding his light, hen he can wake up._

_Then the hylian guards come, and the being senses fear in his savior. The light of his beacon dims and flickers, until there is nothing but darkness._

_**I'm right here! **__The shadow screams, hoping to help the man find him without needing a guide of light. Though the man can't hear him, nobody can. All the being can do is watch as the shouts fade away as they get farther and farthee from itself._

_**Come back! Don't leave me! You have to help me wake up!**_

_**You're my only hope,**_

_**Link...**_

Yeah, the first chapter is kinda repetitive and boring but that was just to get some back ground information. I am really bad at past and present tense so sorry if that chapter sounded weird. I hope all of you give your feedback! Just for anyone who was wondering Link should meet Sheik in the fourth or fifth chapter. I usually don't update that often but I usually add a new chapter every two weeks or longer. But procrastinate a lot so two weeks will probably turn into a month.

Here at the end of each chapter I will put the review reply things along with the riddles/questions replies and answers

Who loves super duper ultrama mega luper random things? Well I want to make this chapter five thousand words for some random and pointless reason so I am going to add a bunch of random things at the end of each chapter. In the next chapter I will announce random people who commemted about the random stuff so yeah.

**Random fact: The peacock mantis shrimp can smash bullet proof glass (got this tidbit of information from a Ripley's Believe it or not Facts book)**

**Random question: What would happen if Pinocchio said "My nose will grow now,"?**

**Random riddle I don't know the answer to: There are two paths, one to heaven and one to hell. At the fork on the road are two twins. One always lies, the other always tells the truth. Once you choose a path, you cannot go back. Which path leads to heaven?**

**Random riddle I do know the answer to**

**White, fat and fluffy,**

**May even look like a puppy,**

**Seems heavy, but is light,**

**Floats around without a worry,**

**But if it turns dark you better hurry!**

Leave your answer to the random stuff in your reviews!


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